Debby Topliff

If we look closely at the Book of Revelation, we can find many images and themes from other parts of the biblical story. In chapter 12 John sees “A great and wondrous sign” appear in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain, about to give birth to a male child who will rule all the nations.

Then another sign appears: an enormous red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns and 7 crowns on his heads. With his tail he sweeps a third of the stars out of the sky and flings them to earth. (Some people think those stars are the fallen angels. We know from 1:20 that stars can be a symbol for angels.)

The dragon stands in front of the woman to devour her child the moment it is born. But the child is snatched up to God and the woman is given wings of a great eagle and flies to the desert.

The dragon (who is the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan) pursues the woman and spews out water like a river to overtake the woman, but the earth helps her by swallowing the river.

Enraged, the dragon goes off to make war against the rest of her offspring. Read the whole story in Revelation 12!